The Irish doctor who is leading the World Health Organization's response to the Covid-19 pandemic is to be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Irish Red Cross.
Dr Michael Ryan, a native of Sligo and Mayo, came to global prominence this year in his role as Executive Director of the World Health Organisation's Health Emergencies Programme, leading the team responsible for the international readiness and response to Covid-19.
Dr Ryan trained as a young doctor in NUI Galway, before turning his attention towards public health and infectious diseases in the 1990s after an injury sustained in a road traffic accident prohibited him from pursuing his training as a surgeon.